Airport road scheme secures £165m funding deal
The Government has confirmed £165m of funding towards the £230m cost of a highways scheme to improve access to Manchester Airport and the Airport City Enterprise Zone.
The money will pay for a new road to be built between the M56 Manchester Airport spur and the A6 at Hazel Grove.
The scheme will improve access to Manchester Airport and the Airport City Enterprise Zone while relieving local congestion.
A parallel shared cycle and pedestrian path and a package of complementary measures, which could include the widening of pavements and new bus lanes, will maximise the scope of potential benefits by making the most efficient use of road space in the areas where there are forecast reductions in car traffic.
The scheme consists of 6.2 miles of new dual carriageway on an east-west route from the A6 near Hazel Grove, south east of Stockport to Manchester Airport and the link road to the M56 incorporating 2.5 miles of the existing A555.
Progress on the scheme will be subject to the successful completion of all the remaining statutory procedures which may include a public inquiry.
Construction is scheduled to start in January 2015 with completion in Summer 2017.
The funding has been secured through a combination of £165m of specific Department for Transport capital grant, £105m of additional capital grant funding from the Government through the recently approved Greater Manchester Earn Back model, and £20m of Local Transport Plan funding.
